At Love's Bidding Book Review

SUMMARY:  She sells priceless antiques. He sells livestock by the pound.  Is he really the man to made a bid for her heart?
     After helping her grandfather at their Boston auction house, Miranda Wimplegate discovers she's accidentally sold a powerful family's prized portrait to an anonymous bidder.  Desperate to appeases the people who could ruin them forever, they track it to the Missouri Ozarks and make an outlandish offer to buy the local auction house and all its holdings before the painting can move again.
     Upon crossing the country, however, Miranda and her grandfather discover their new auction house doesn't deal in fine antiques, but in livestock.  And its frustratingly handsome manager, Wyatt Ballentine, is annoyed to discover his fussy new bosses don't know a thing about the business he's single-handedly kept afloat.  Faced with more heads of cattle than they can count - but no mysterious painting - Miranda and Wyatt form an unlikely but charged partnership to try and prevent a bad situation from getting worse.

REVIEW:  This book has it's ups and downs.  I love how Miranda stays by her grandfather's side, looks after him and defends him when his memory takes a turn for the worse and he starts to alienate the people in Pine Gap.  Her concern and care for him is always in the forefront.  Even though Wyatt is not happy that the new auction house owners haven't the first clue on how to conduct livestock auctions, he tries to help them the best he can.  He does a good job trying to balance their big-city ideas with the reality of small town living.  I like how Wyatt doesn't give up easily.  His determination to work hard without taking advantage of people plays out in his favor at the end of the book.
     Sometimes it was hard to figure out who the "bad" guy was.  There were four different people looking for this portrait.  At times, it was difficult to follow who was trying to help the LeBlanc family (the owners of the portrait) and who was trying to steal it away to hurt the Auction House.  Throw in the possibility of a missing heir and it took some effort to keep things straight.
     The ending was delightful.  I loved how things worked out for Wyatt, Miranda, and the auction houses.  All in all, it was a pleasant read.

This book was provided by Litfuse Publicity Group and Bethany House

for review without compensation.

Regina Jennings is a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University with a degree in English.  She is the author of Sixty Acres and a Bride, Love in the Balance, Caught in the Middle, A Most Inconvenient Marriage, and she contributed a novella to A Match Made in Texas.  She and her family make their home in Oklahoma City.  Regina can be found online at www.reginajennings.com.

Love in the Balance Book Review

SUMMARY:  Handsome Cowboy or Debonair Tycoon - How's a Girl to Choose?
     Molly Lovelace dreams of a life without cares in Lockhart, Texas.  She also dreams of handsome wrangler Bailey Garner, her ardent but inconsistent beau.  The problem is, with Bailey's poor prospects, she just can't fit the two dreams together.
     Then mysterious stranger Edward Pierrepont sweeps into town - and her life - and for the first time Molly wonders if she's met the man who can give her everything.  But he won't be in Lockhart long, and while it certainly seems like he talks about their glorious future together, she can't quite get Bailey out of her mind.
     What's a girl to do with all these decisions when love is in the balance?

REVIEW:  This book was okay but I had some problems with the characters and story.  Molly and Bailey's relationship drove me crazy.  Up and down, back and forth, it was hard keeping track of it at times.  Molly's parents raised her to marry money and do not want her relationship with Bailey to develop more than just a casual acquaintance even though they've known each other since childhood.  Because of this, she starts "dating" a dear friend's beau (who happens to be a wealthy banker) to get her parents off her back.  When that doesn't work out, Molly starts seeing Edward, even though she cares deeply for Bailey.  Edward is a strange one and his character is mysterious and never fully explored.  I did like how both Bailey and Molly grew in their respected faiths as they faced different trials and were not afraid to right wrongs and wrong perceptions, even though it could have cost them.
     The story seemed to drag at times and perked up at others.  One part I liked was after Molly's "fall from grace." I liked how she started reaching out to those who fell between the cracks in that day's society.  But, I didn't like how the relationship developed between her and Edward, how she left Bailey after sending him a note saying she would marry him and the outcome of the court case against Edward.  There are also parts of the book that refer to the author's previous book that could have been explained a little better for those who have not read it.
     All in all, the book was not one of my favorites. 

This book was provided by Litfuse Publicity Group for review without compensation.

Regina Jennings is a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University with a degree in English and a minor in history.  She has worked at the Mustang News and at First Baptist Church of Mustang, along with time at the Oklahoma National Stockyards and various livestock shows.  She lives outside of Oklahoma City with her husband and four children.